


When The Days Are Rough (And An Hour Feels Much Longer)

by samandbucky



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Clint Barton Needs a Hug, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Multi, Recovery, mentions of torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:27:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23220187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samandbucky/pseuds/samandbucky
Summary: Clint is kidnapped and tortured by a group of amateurs who wanted nothing but Tony's money, using Clint as bait. But, nobody comes to rescue Clint. He escapes on his own. When Clint finds out that no one had been looking for him, despite being missing for two days, his feelings are more than hurt and has a hard time trusting the ones he loves.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton/Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 3
Kudos: 55





	When The Days Are Rough (And An Hour Feels Much Longer)

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from McFLY's 'I've got You' because I'm unoriginal when it comes to titles.

Clint takes a deep breath as he stands in front of Avengers tower, looking up at the building.

It’s been two days since he last stepped foot in this building. Two days. None of the Avengers came looking for him. Maybe they were. The thing is that Clint had to escape from his captors himself.

Maybe the Avengers didn’t even notice Clint missing. He hadn’t been inside the building.

Two days of pure torture and agony all because those greedy bastards wanted Tony Stark’s money, and Clint just happened to be around when the idiots came around looking for what they wanted.

Clint walks into the building. He glances around before quickly heading into the elevator.

“Friday?” Clint asks, his voice slightly hoarse from all the screaming he’s done the past couple of days, glancing up at the ceiling. “Where are the other Avengers located?”

“Boss is doing some work up in his lab with Mr. Parker, Dr. Banner is helping with a case in China, Romanoff is off doing some business with SHIELD and Directory Fury, Wanda is napping in her room, Vision is exploring, and Mr. Rogers and Mr. Barnes are currently preparing dinner,”

Clint slouches against the elevator wall, feeling defeated and quite hurt that not even his _three boyfriends_ seemed to notice his disappearance. “Nobody noticed that I was missing?” He asks out loud.

“Dr. Banner is due back in two days. I would suggest going to see him immediately when you can,”

Clint scoffs at Friday’s advice. “So, I was kidnapped and tortured for two days. I’ve been through worse, and I don’t fucking need Dr. Banner’s help either. I’m perfectly fine. Friday, take me to my old bedroom. Don’t let anyone know where I am. Clearly they aren’t too fucking worried about me.”

Clint heads straight to his old bedroom. He hasn’t stepped foot in this room since he started dating Tony, Steve and Bucky nearly a year ago. He started hanging out in their bedrooms and eventually forgot about his own, because he didn’t really have a reason to come back here when he slept in his boyfriend’s beds.

Clint walks over to his bed and slowly sits on the edge.

Finally. A moment of peace. But, it’s bittersweet. This is not what he was expecting to come home to.

Clint shakes his head and buries his face in his hands as tears threaten to fall out of his eyes.

Later, dinner is finally ready. Steve calls for everyone. When everyone arrives, Tony is the first to notice Clint’s absence. In fact, he notices that he hasn’t seen Clint around for a couple of days.

“Have you guys seen Clint?” Tony asks, looking to his boyfriends.

Steve instantly pauses, and looks over at Tony. “No, but I thought he was with Natasha?”

“No, she’s on a solo mission for Fury. Clint should be home,” Bucky informs him. He frowns as he looks over at Tony. “I haven’t seen him in days, now that you mention it.”

“Exactly. None of us have heard from him, which is a little worrying. Clint would have told us if he left,” Tony says. “Friday? Can you give us Barton’s location?”

“I’m afraid I cannot do that, Boss,” Friday replies.

“Excuse me? Why the hell not?” Tony asks, getting frustrated with the AI.

“Tony,” Steve warns, glaring at the genius. “Friday, can you at least let us know if Clint is in the tower?”

“Mr. Barton is indeed in the tower, Mr. Rogers,” Friday assures them, earning a sigh of relief from Steve. “Mr. Barton has asked me not to tell you his location. However, he’s been absent for nearly two days, and I believe he should be checked over by a doctor immediately.”

Tony glances at Steve and Bucky worriedly. “Why do you think that, Friday?”

“I’ve scanned Mr. Barton. Although I do not know the details, he has been through trauma and torture, and has returned to the tower with injuries that should be looked over,”

“Alright. I’ve heard enough. Thank you, Friday,” Tony says. “Peter, you stay here with Wanda and Vision. You two, we’re going to find Clint.” He points at Steve and Bucky, and gestures for them to follow him.

“How the hell could we have not noticed Clint missing?” Bucky asks once they step into the elevator. “God, we’re such terrible boyfriends. We should have noticed days ago!”

“To be fair, I thought he was with Natasha,” Steve defends himself.

Tony nods. “Clint likes to go and be by himself sometimes. You know how he likes to hide in the vents?”

“Do you think he could be somewhere in the vents right now?” Bucky asks, looking at Tony.

“I’d ask Friday, but something tells me she’s not going to tell me if I ask. I can’t believe he’s using my own AI against me,” Tony grumbles. “We’ll split up. Clint’s hurt, and needs us. I’m gonna get a hold of Bruce and see if he can come home early. We all know Clint won’t see another doctor.”

Steve nods. “We cannot let Clint down again,” he says. “And we can’t let him push us away either.”

“I’m gonna head towards Clint’s old bedroom. Let me know if you find him,” Tony says, stepping out when the elevator opens. He pulls out his phone and calls Bruce.

After a few rings, Bruce finally picks up, earning a sigh of relief from Tony. “Tony?”

“Brucie Bear! Thank God you answered. You know I wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t important to me,” Tony says. “I know you’re super busy saving lives right now, but I need you to come home early.”

“What? Tony. I’m in China. I can’t just-”

“Bruce, it’s Clint,” Tony says. “We didn’t notice him missing for two days and now Friday’s informed us that he’s been tortured and has injuries that need looking over. We’re looking for him right now. He’s hiding.”

“Christ. I don’t blame him for hiding. He’s probably terrified, and Clint’s scarily good at hiding his feelings. Honestly. I leave you people alone for two weeks and this happens?” Bruce sighs.

“Bruce, please. We feel guilty enough,” Tony groans. “Is- Is there any chance you can come home sooner? I don’t know how Clint’s going to be when we find him, and we really need you.”

Bruce sighs. “I don’t know, but I’ll see what I can do,”

“You’re the best, and I owe you one,” Tony says. “Keep me updated.” He ends the call. “Alright, Barton. Where are you?” He glances around, and then he starts heading towards Clint’s old bedroom.

Clint is still sitting on his bed when Friday informs him that Tony is making his way towards the bedroom.

Clint instantly looks up, eyes wide and full of tears. “Shit,” he curses, quickly standing up. He hurries to the bathroom and quickly locks the door, taking a deep breath as he leans against the door. He feels silly for hiding away from his boyfriends like this, but he has every reason not to want to see them right now, despite the fact that all he wants _is_ to see them right now. It’s not his fault he’s stubborn.

Tony walks into the bedroom and looks around, sighing when he doesn’t see Clint anywhere. He even looks in the high places where Clint likes to hide somewhere. His code name is Hawkeye for a reason.

“Dammit,” Tony curses, and then he spots the closed bathroom door. Tony takes a deep breath before walking over to the bathroom door. He goes to open it but stops when the door doesn’t open. “Shit. Friday?” He looks up, but the AI doesn’t respond. “Come on. Clint? Baby, I know you’re in there.”

Tony tries for a couple of minutes to get Clint out of the bathroom, before he finally gives up and decides to take a step back away from the bathroom door and call Steve and Bucky.

“Tony? Hey, did you find him? That was quick,” Steve answers.

“Yeah, but don’t get too excited. He’s in his old bedroom, and decided to lock himself in the bathroom, and now he’s not coming out. Get your asses down here and come help me,” Tony demands.

“Alright, alright. We’ll be there in a few minutes. Keep trying,” Steve says before hanging up.

Tony sighs and walks back up to the door, gently leaning against it. “Clint? We’re terrible boyfriends, and we know that. We should have noticed that you were missing. I’m sorry. We all are. I just want to know that you’re okay. I mean… I know you’re not okay. Of course you’re not. I just want to comfort you,”

Around five minutes later, Steve and Bucky finally show up.

“Dammit, why is Clint’s bedroom so far away from ours?” Steve complains as they walk into the bedroom.

Tony instantly lifts his head up upon hearing the voice. He looks over at the two super soldiers. “Finally! Get over here and get your Goddamn boyfriend out of that bathroom!”

Bucky chuckles sadly. “Still being stubborn, huh?”

Steve gently squeezes Bucky’s shoulder, before walking over to the bathroom door, knocking on it. “Clint?” He asks, voice softer than Tony’s ever heard it before. “It’s Steve. Bucky’s here too now. Please, come out. We know that you’re probably upset right now, but we just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I already tried that,” Tony mumbles, crossing his arms against his chest.

Steve frowns as he looks over at Tony. “Well, we’ll keep trying. I’m not leaving until he comes out,”

“I have a feeling we’ll be here for quite awhile,” Bucky adds, making his way over to Steve.

Bucky’s right. Steve, Bucky and Tony try for hours to get Clint to come out, but he doesn’t budge at all. The bathroom door never opens, only causing the three men to worry even more.

Buce arrives the next day in the afternoon, to find Steve, Bucky and Tony sitting outside Clint’s bathroom. Tony’s leaning against the bathroom door, nearly falling asleep, while Steve and Bucky are resting against the bed. Not any of them are sleeping, and look like they haven’t slept either.

“Did you all decide to have a sleepover or something on Clint’s floor?” Bruce asks, raising his eyebrows.

Tony bolts up in a sitting position, and lets out a sigh when he sees Bruce standing there. “Christ, Bruce!”

“Clint locked himself away in the bathroom,” Steve answers, watching as Bucky rubs his eyes tiredly. “We’ve been sitting here all night and all day trying to get him out.”

“That bad, huh?” Bruce frowns. “Let me try getting him out. Can you guys leave f-?”

“Bruce, I love you, and I’m grateful that you came home early… but hell no,” Tony snaps.

“If we can’t get him out, his _boyfriends_ , what makes you think _you_ can get him out?” Bucky asks, frowning.

Bruce glares at him. “I _am_ the doctor here, Bucky. Out. All of you,” he orders. He watches as the three complain as they finally get off the floor, grumbling as they make their way out of the bedroom. Bruce shuts the door, and then heads over to the bathroom door. “Hey, Clint? It’s me, Bruce...” Bruce knocks on the door gently. “I uh, came back early from China because Tony said you were in trouble. I understand you don’t want to talk to anyone right now, that’s fine. Totally understandable. You don’t have to talk at all. I just wanna look at those injuries and make sure you’re gonna recover nicely. I’m worried about you…”

Bruce waits a moment, and then the door finally opens.

“Clint,” Bruce gasps the moment he sees him. He glances over him, taking in all the bruises on his body, and just how simply exhausted he looks. “You look terrible.” He says. “I’m sorry. That was mean.”

Clint smiles a small smile. “I know I look like shit,” his voice is hoarse from not using his voice.

“Thanks for opening the door. I know you probably want to be alone right now,” Bruce frowns.

Clint shakes his head. “I- I don’t… wanna be alone. I just… no one noticed…”

“I know,” Bruce frowns. “I’m sorry, Clint. I know that doesn’t change what happened to you, or fix things. But, I am sorry. I’m sure they didn’t forget you on purpose. That doesn’t sound like them. But, right now… you’ve got injuries that I need to look over. Is it okay with you if I do that?”

“Do we have to leave my room?” Clint asks nervously, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

“I’m afraid so, but you don’t have to say anything to them if you don’t want to. I’m sure they’re waiting outside for you. They just want to know that you’re… you know, _okay_ ,” Bruce assures him.

Clint shrugs his shoulders. “Doesn’t matter anymore,” he mumbles.

“Clint, of course it matters,” Bruce sighs sadly. “Come on. We need to get down to the medical room.”

Clint nervously follows Bruce out of his bedroom. He thought that he would put up a bigger fight, but at this point, he’s too exhausted. He just wants to get this whole thing over with.

When Clint steps out of his bedroom, he sees Steve, Bucky and Tony waiting outside for him.

“Clint-” Tony begins when he sees Clint, but stops when Bruce holds his hands out. The three look absolutely horrified when they see the state that Clint’s in, which makes Clint want to hide even more. They’re probably disgusted with him. He’s broken, and they’re probably gonna break up with him, and even kick him off the Avengers team. This is all Clint has left.

“I know you all want to see Clint, and talk to him, but I’ve got a patient to deal with first,” Bruce warns. “You can follow us if you’d like down to the medical room if you promise to behave. Come on, Clint.”

Clint anxiously wraps his arm around himself as he follows Bruce, avoiding eye contact with his boyfriends, not ready to be approached by them yet. Clint has no idea what he’s going to say to them.

Tony glances at Steve and Bucky, both looking just as worried as he is.

“Come on, guys. We can talk to him later. Let’s just be there for Clint now,” Tony whispers, gently tugging Steve by his shirt, and then following Bruce and Clint down to the medical room.

“Have a seat,” Bruce instructs, gesturing Clint to the medical chair. “I want to look over those bruises.

Clint hesitates before sliding onto the medical chair, keeping his eyes on Bruce.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” Bruce asks as he starts looking over Clint’s bruises.

“You said I didn’t have to talk,” Clint replies, frowning at Bruce.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. But, it might help you get through this. No one here is going to judge you for what you went through. We’re all just here to help,” Bruce tries to assure him.

Clint lets out a sigh, nervously glancing over at his boyfriends, Tony specifically. “They were some idiots looking to steal Tony’s money,” he explains. “I happened to be around the tower when they came around, and figured they would use me for ransom.” He looks over when he hears Tony cursing angrily.

“I need a moment,” Tony says, storming out of the medical room.

“He’s not upset with you,” Steve quickly tries to assure Clint.

“Ow,” Clint complains when Bruce suddenly touches his arm, and he quickly tries to pull his arm back, ignoring what Steve said about Tony. “That hurts.”

“Okay,” Bruce sighs. “You have a broken wrist, but other than that, I see no other major injuries. You might be left with some scars, but most of your bruises should heal over the next few weeks. Clint, I just ask that you stay home and rest as much as you can. No missions for at least three weeks.”

“You can’t do that,” Clint argues, glaring at Bruce.

Bruce sighs. “Cap?” He looks over at Steve, looking for help.

“I’m sorry, Clint. But, Bruce is the doctor, and he knows what’s best for all of us. No missions,” Steve says.

“This isn’t fucking fair!” Clint shouts angrily, startling Steve and Bucky, and even Bruce. Clint definitely isn’t one to yell or raise his voice. He gets angry, but he rarely yells and is good at hiding his frustration. “Why should I have to put my life on hold because some fuckers-”

“Clint,” Steve warns. He goes to touch Clint’s shoulder, but quickly stops himself, knowing that Clint probably doesn’t want to be touched right now after what he’s been through. “Clint, I’m sorry. It’s not fair, and you didn’t deserve to go through this. No one does, but especially not you. We just…”

“Want me to be okay, I get it,” Clint snaps, cutting Steve off.

Bruce sighs sadly as he stares at Clint. “Why don’t we get that wrist bandaged?”

“Hey, I’m gonna go check on Tony. Stay here with him,” Steve whispers to Bucky. He glances at Clint before turning and quickly walking out of the medical room. He looks up and sighs when he sees Tony pacing back and forth, talking angrily on the phone.

“I want names!” Tony shouts, running a hand through his hair. “I want to know who the hell did this to him, and you’re the only person I trust to get the job done. We’ll take care of Clint in the meantime. I promise.” He pauses. “Okay, wow, Nat. That one hurt. Keep me updated. See you later.” He looks over, and instantly freezes when he sees Steve standing there. “How much of that did you hear?”

“Are you seriously sending Nat to kill the guys who tortured Clint, Tony?” Steve asks with disapproval.

“She’s not killing them, although I fully believe that’s what they deserve after what they did to our boyfriend. But no, she’s just giving me names, and then they’re going to rot in prison for the rest of their lives. They deserve it, Steve,” Tony scoffs.

“You are right, Tony. I can’t disagree with you. I just wanted to make sure you knew that it’s not your fault that this happened to Clint. I know you’re going to go down to your lab later, and drink yourself to death, but I’m not going to let that happen. We’re going to go back in there, and comfort our hurt boyfriend,”

Tony sighs as he stares at Steve. “It’s really hard to go against you when you give those damn speeches,”

Steve grins. “I’ve had years to master them. Can we go back in?”

“Fine,” Tony huffs in defeat, and leads the way back inside, just as Clint is speaking about the captors.

“They were _idiots_ ,” Clint scoffs with anger, Bucky watching him with amusement. “It wasn’t really that hard to escape when they totally left the room unlocked, and then didn’t have guards set up outside the room. What kind of kidnappers leave their captive unguarded?”

“They weren’t very good kidnappers then,” Bucky comments, raising his eyebrows. “Amateurs.”

“There,” Bruce says once he’s finished bandaging Clint’s wrist. “Take care of it. Take care of yourself.”

“Seeing as I have no other choice,” Clint grumbles.

“You’re much more talkative than you were twenty minutes ago,” Bucky points out.

Clint nervously looks over at him. “I- I can’t let a bunch of idiots who tortured me ruin my life, can I? I’d just be giving them the satisfaction that they won,” he says. “They didn’t win. _I_ escaped.”

“You’re allowed to feel sad though. What happened to you is terrible, and anyone would need time to recover,” Bucky tries to tell him.

“I’m not sad. I’m angry,” Clint says, sliding off the medical chair. “I’m moving on with my life.”

Easier said than done.

Over the next couple of weeks, Clint finds it difficult actually moving on with his life. He distances himself from pretty much everybody. Even his boyfriends. Clint has a hard time getting close to them again, allowing them to touch him. Clint already knows they’re not going to hurt him, but he has constant flashbacks and nightmares about the torture that the kidnappers put him through.

Clint hates that he’s letting this control his life. He wants to get better, but he doesn’t know how.

***

Clint sighs as he walks towards the kitchen. He’s spent a couple of hours in the vents, hiding away, as he usually does these days. But now, he’s hungry, and he can’t say no to food.

Clint stops when he hears soft voices. He takes a step back and peaks into the kitchen, frowning when he sees Tony and Steve in a rather heated makeout session. Steve has Tony pressed against the fridge, while Tony has his hands all over Steve. They're touching each other easily. Clint feels jealousy. He hasn’t been able to be like that with any of his boyfriends in weeks, nor has he let them be like that with him. Clint feels useless in this relationship now.

“God,” Tony breathes with their kiss ends. “Is there any way I can convince you to stay home?”

Steve chuckles. “You know I can’t turn down one of Fury’s missions, But, if you keep kissing me like that, then you might be able to change my mind,” he whispers.

Tony smirks, his grip on Steve tightening. “Challenge accepted,” he leans forward to kiss Steve again, but stops when they hear a shout that sounds like it’s coming from Bucky. “Shit. That doesn’t sound good.”

Tony and Steve instantly rush out of the kitchen and run down the hall until they find Clint on the floor, obviously panicked, and Bucky crouched down in front of him, trying to comfort him.

“Clint? Hey, it’s just me. You’re safe, I promise,”

“What happened?” Tony asks, running up to Clint, and bending down to get a better look at him.

“I- I don’t know. I accidentally ran into him, and then he freaked out. I didn’t mean to spook him,”

“It’s not your fault, Buck,” Steve quickly tries to assure Bucky. “It could have been any one of us that would have run into him like that.” He looks down at Clint and frowns.

“Legolas? Hey, are you with me?” Tony asks, trying to gain Clint’s attention. “I need you to breathe. Focus. That’s it. You’re good. You’re safe. No one is going to hurt you.”

Clint looks over at Tony as he takes deep breaths, trying to calm his breathing. “I- I’m-”

“If you finish that sentence with ‘sorry’, then I’m going to slap you upside the head silly,” Tony warns softly.

“That wouldn’t exactly help the situation, Tones,” Steve chuckles.

Clint shakes his head. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to- please don’t leave me,” he begs.

“What?” Tony asks, frowning at Clint. “You think we would leave you? That’s insane. I think you’ve officially lost your mind, Barton. You honestly think that we would leave you? For _what_?”

Clint looks up at Tony with sad eyes. “I’m broken,” he says, breaking each of his boyfriend’s hearts. “Useless. I- I can’t do anything without freaking out when one of you touches me…”

“That’s such bullshit,” Tony replies, startling Clint. “Did we leave Bucky when he was in recovery and would freak out whenever we even _breathed_ near him? Hell no. We stuck by him until he felt better.”

“Even you did, Clint. You helped me, so now it’s my turn to help you,” Bucky adds. “We’re not leaving.”

“You went through something horrible, Clint, that no one should have to go through,” Steve also adds. “We would be terrible boyfriends if we left you when you need us the most.”

Clint sighs, and buries his face in his hands. “I just want this to be over with,”

“Let us help,” Tony urges. “We can help you get through this, if you’d let us. You keep pushing us away. Which, we understood, and wanted to give you space. But, we also hate not being able to comfort you.”

Clin takes a deep breath before slowly nodding. “Okay,” he says in a quiet voice.

“Okay, this is good,” Steve says. “It’s a good start. How about we get you off the floor, and-”

“No,” Clint complains, falling against the wall. “Don’t wanna.”

Bucky snorts. “You realize you have two super soldier boyfriends who can carry you, right?”

“Hey,” Tony huffs as he looks over at Bucky. “What are you trying to say? You know I’m Iron Man, right?”

Bucky rolls his eyes. “Obviously. But, you’re not Iron Man right now, are you?”

“Honestly,” Steve rolls his eyes at the two bickering, though he has a fond smile on his face. He pushes Tony aside and then bends down and gently lifts Clint up in his arms.

Clint yelps and quickly throws his arms around Steve tightly. “Steve!”

“Well, when you two idiots are done bickering, Clint and I will be upstairs in our bedroom,” Steve says to Tony and Bucky, before heading towards the elevator.

Tony looks at Bucky with a grin, before standing up and quickly following Steve, Bucky behind him.

Once in their bedroom, Steve gently places Clint in their bed. He goes to move away but Clint quickly grabs him and pulls him back, allowing him no room to escape. “Stay,” he begs. “Please don’t go.”

“I was just gonna get you some water,” Steve chuckles. “But, I’ll stay. I promise. I’m not leaving.”

Clint instantly relaxes when Steve settles next to him, and then Clint curls up beside him.

“Tony!” Steve shouts, trying not to be too loud, knowing Clint is still sensitive. He definitely doesn't leave Clint right now, not when it's been weeks since he's been able to cuddle Clint, and Clint is finally letting them be close to him again. It's not going to suddenly be easy, but Steve's taking advantage of this moment while he can.

“I’ve got it,” Tony says before walking into the bedroom with a glass of water in his hands. “It’s right here.” Tony tells Clint before setting the glass of water down on the bedside table, and chuckles as he watches Bucky plop himself down on the other side of Clint. Tony smirks, and then he crawls onto the bed, and nudges himself in between Steve and Clint, wrapping his arms around Clint. “Now you’re trapped.”

Clint smiles a little as he looks down at Tony. “This is a good place to be trapped,”

“Our cuddle sessions haven’t been the same without you,” Steve says, leaning over to kiss Clint's cheek.

“I’ll get better. I promise,” Clint says as he looks over at Steve, his face full of determination.

“Clint,” Bucky warns softly, reaching over to take Clint’s hand. “We’re in no rush here. You’re allowed to take as much time as you need to recover, and we’re okay with waiting.”

“Okay, but it’s been three weeks-” Clint looks over at Steve. “My wrist is healed, and my bruises are fading away. When am I allowed to go on missions again? Banner says I’m in the okay.”

Steve huffs out a laugh. “Of course that’s the first thing you say,” he says, shaking his head fondly. “Okay, we’ll talk about it later, I promise. Right now, it’s time for cuddles.”


End file.
